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. a spoon in colorado {blend 2015} .

May 20, 2015 by Amanda @ .running with spoons. 64 Comments

When I first started blogging, I had no idea that it would go on to become a source of so many close friendships.

I mean… I expected to make connections with people, but not to the point where I’d have no problem travelling across the country (or to a different country) to see them, or where a day without constantly texting back and forth would leave me feeling like something was missing from my life. Truth be told, I never really expected to physically meet anyone at all — the concept just felt a little strange to me.

But then I took a chance and went to my first blogger conference, and now, at almost 3 years into this whole blogging thing, it’s hard to imagine life any other way. Blends (blogger + friend) simply became friends, and a blogger retreat in Colorado simply felt like a fun weekend with the girls…

 

Blend Retreat 2015

 Aaaaand that was just a really longwinded and semi-sappy way of saying that today’s post is going to be a Blend recap. I’ll stick to the main events today, and throw in some random tidbits in tomorrow’s Thinking Out Loud…

Thursday…

Like last year, I opted to head out a day early so that things wouldn’t feel so rushed. The day started with an early flight to Calgary, which was quite possibly one of the most uncomfortable flights I’ve ever been on. The flight itself was blissfully short (about 40 minutes), which is actually why it was so uncomfortable… The plane was small, and we spent 20 minutes going up, and then 20 minutes going down. No smooth sailing.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

But my layover was nice and short and I even got to know one of the security officers better when I was “randomly” chosen to be frisked. I thought about playing the “at least buy me a drink” card, but I figured they probably get that a lot so I tried to keep my dignity in tact as best as one can while being publicly felt up by a stranger.

Insert one uneventful plane ride to Denver, one squealing airport reunion with Roomie #1 (Meghan) and Roomie #2 (Lucie), one way-too-long shuttle ride to Boulder, and we were finally there! With “there” being Chautauqua Park.

Chautauqua Park

Now… this is where I completely failed at my blogger duties, as I forgot to actually take a picture of aforementioned park. And our cabin. And pretty much everything else. BUT! I did manage to snap a picture of this clever little rock that was hanging out by our cabin steps, so… there’s that.

Boulder Colorado

Other than that, not much else happened on Thursday. Spent some time with the roomies, hit up Whole Foods to stock up on snacks, and mostly just hung out in our cabin until we were ready to pass out. The night ended with Roomie #3 (Carly) arriving at around 11 PM, and everyone passing out shortly after squealing and exchanging hugs.

Friday…

Friday morning was relatively quiet. We ended up walking around Boulder a bit to kill time before the retreat officially kicked off; and you know what that means — SWAG BAGS!!!

Blend 2015 Swag

[picture ninja’d from Heather]

I’m pretty sure that this year’s swag outdid even last year’s swag — there was so much of it that I had to leave a lot behind because I was afraid it wouldn’t fit into my suitcase. The sponsors were super generous, and we walked away with tonnes of snacks, clothes, and even a nice yoga mat… which I’m still not quite sure how I managed to squeeze into my smaller suitcase. Either way, the swag was epic, and there was even a good amount of it that I could enjoy despite my peanut allergies.

After registration, I think we mostly just hung around in our cabin and chatted while slowly getting ready for cocktails and dinner. We made a pretty good looking bunch, no?

Cocktailing it at Blend

Girls at Dinner

The Roomies

At the Party

Once again, it was an awesome evening filled with food, friends, and fun. Even though it was a bit chilly. And slightly harder than it was last year to walk around and socialize since there wasn’t much space to move around.

Saturday…

Saturday started bright and early with a bootcamp sponsored by Gnarly Nutrition. I opted to sit that one out, but word on the street (read: at breakfast) was that it kicked people’s butts. Breakfast was a good one (sponsored by Love Grown, Justin’s [where THE Justin actually made an appearance], and Flapjacked), and then it was time to scale a mountain go hiking with Detour!

Hiking Group

Boulder Hiking

You guys know the mountains are my happy place, so this is one part of the trip that I looked forward to the most and it definitely didn’t disappoint…

Boulder Hike

Mountain Girls

Meg and I Hiking

Mountain Trails

Getting Ready To Hike

After the hike, I enjoyed a little downtime while my roomies hit up the farmers’ market in Boulder. The weather was turning a little janky, so  we decided to put together a spread and enjoy a night in while playing Cards Against Humanity.

Girls Night In

Night In Food Spread

Sunday…

Sunday was a sad day because it was time to say goodbye, and it was made even sadder by the fact that I had to do it super early. I booked an 11:30 AM flight to avoid having to hang around till 9 PM, so I left Chautauqua at around 8  and missed the yoga session, breakfast, and closing ceremony. Womp, womp. Pair that with a crazy turbulent flight, and all I wanted to do was face plant on my couch by the time I got home. So that’s what I did.

Bumpy Ride Home

And that pretty much sums it all up! Blend was a tonne of fun this year, and I loved being able to see old friends while meeting some new faces. There definitely wasn’t enough time to see ALL the people, and do ALL the things, but hey… there’s always next year 😉

Signature

Have you ever met another blogger in person?
Were you at Blend this past weekend?!? 😀
Are you planning on going to Blend next year?

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Filed Under: Blogging, Life in General, Travels Tagged With: Blend Retreat 2015, blends, blogging retreat, Boulder, Chautauqua, Colorado, swag, travel

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jake T

    August 14, 2023 at 1:22 pm

    In what circumstances does Vueling provide compensation beyond the standard refund for flight cancellations? What options do passengers have if Vueling denies their refund or compensation claim for a flight-related issue?

    Reply
  2. Cassie @ Almost Getting it Together

    May 25, 2015 at 7:25 pm

    I definitely hope to make it to Blend one of these years! Hopefully next year!! Loved all your photos 🙂

    Reply
  3. Amanda @ Diary of a Semi-Health Nut

    May 23, 2015 at 9:33 am

    So good to see you (for a few minutes ha!) at Blend!

    Also I think I realized this trip that the mountains are my happy place as well. Except when there’s snow on them. Then I go inside and drink hot chocolate. 😉 But seriously…hiking is my new love and the BF was super into it as well. I might just move to Colorado…

    Reply
  4. Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

    May 22, 2015 at 9:33 pm

    To be honest, you were probably the #1 blogger I wanted to meet at Blend, so that’s checked off my bucket list! 😉 But I forgot to take a picture with you and that makes me sad. Another time!!
    I’m so glad you had a wonderful time with those amazing ladies. It was such a fun weekend indeed!

    Reply
    • Amanda @ .running with spoons.

      May 23, 2015 at 11:29 am

      Awwr lady, I know! I found it so much harder to meet people this year just because of how the cabin system was set up… and the weather didn’t exactly help things either 😕 But I’m just super happy that I got to give you a hug <3

      Reply
  5. Chelsea @ Chelsea's Healthy Kitchen

    May 21, 2015 at 4:23 pm

    Looks like it was such a fun weekend! I wish I’d been able to go to Blend these past two years. Fingers crossed for next year. Either that or I need to finally make it out to Alberta for a visit!

    PS. Love your dress!

    Reply
    • Amanda @ .running with spoons.

      May 21, 2015 at 5:51 pm

      YES! Omigosh I would love that even more than if I saw you at Blend. We have better mountains, anyways 😛

      Reply
  6. Lucie@FitSwissChick

    May 21, 2015 at 2:14 pm

    Oh this just makes me smile. I LOVE reading about OUR weekend!!

    Reply
    • Amanda @ .running with spoons.

      May 21, 2015 at 5:50 pm

      It needs to happen again!!

      Reply
  7. Alex @ True Femme

    May 21, 2015 at 9:18 am

    Chautauqua is the classic Boulder hiking spot so I’m glad you got to experience it while you were there! Sounds like a fun time (minus the flight!) I currently live in Boulder but am moving in a few weeks and I’m going to miss seeing the Flatirons every day. It’s a beautiful place to live (except no one here knows how to drive!) Hope you have a great rest of your week!

    Reply
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Amanda

I'm Amanda - health coach, cookbook author, recipe developer, photographer, makeup junkie, and the blogger behind Running with Spoons - a blog dedicated to proving that healthy snacking doesn't have to be tasteless or boring, one delicious recipe at a time. More about Amanda →

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